My husband and I adopted God’s heart for orphans in early 2010 just after the Earthquake hit in Haiti. We hadn’t discussed adoption for our family before that time and it had never been a part of our plans. But when we felt God calling us to adopt, we just knew we had to follow. After much prayer, we said yes to adoption, obeying out of love because we knew it was what He wanted for our family.
After months of paperwork, we accepted our daughter’s referral on December 20th, 2010. Sunshine was 7 months old at the time, living in a loving foster home in China. She was diagnosed with an un-repaired cleft lip and palate, but was completely healthy otherwise. She was everything we had prayed for and we waited with great anticipation during the next 5 months until we traveled to Jiangxi, China to bring her home. We missed her first birthday by just a few short weeks, but traveled to China on June 3, 2011 and officially adopted her on June 7, 2011. We brought her home and were reunited with our family on June 15, 2011 – the same day Sunshine also became an American citizen. That trip was probably one of the most difficult things we have ever done … leaving 2 of our kiddos behind to bring the 3rd home. But just as Jesus teaches that the shepherd leaves his 99 behind to go find the one missing sheep, so did we. Through His strength alone, we stepped completely out of our comfort zones and traveled halfway across the world to bring our precious Sunshine home.
It has been truly indescribable to watch God work through this process. I have grown in so many ways along this journey, as a parent and also in my faith! What a privilege it is to be parents to all three of our children. Sunshine’s adoption has strengthened our entire family’s understanding of what it means to be one of God’s children. She is a wonderful, miraculous blessing to our family and I see God in her every single day.
Saying “yes” to adoption and relying on God to pull everything together has been difficult and crazy, but surely one of my life’s biggest blessings. Adopting and parenting one of God’s precious little children that we have the privilege of calling our own has been such a wonderful journey. We have not been perfect parents to her, probably not even close. We have made mistakes (probably lots!), but God loves us anyway. And we love Sunshine, unconditionally forever. I love her so much that sometimes I squeeze her a little too hard or hold her a little longer than she wants. The mother’s heart that God has grown in me for Sunshine is incredible, amazing, indescribable. I can say with complete confidence that I am madly in love with this precious girl and I am excited to watch God’s plans for her unfold.
We are so happy that we said “yes” to adoption … yes to all of the craziness we now call our life. Yes to being the parents of 3 incredible, miraculous kids who teach us more about ourselves every day. Yes to our amazing God and Heavenly Father, who adopted us into His family and loves us unconditionally, no matter how much we do wrong or run away from Him.
About the Author & Adoptive Mom
